Left: Museo del Prado Above: Plaza Mayor Right: The Serran ía de Ronda in Andalusiat Far right: Castilla de la Mancha Dini Martinez experiences unbeatable highlights in culture, cuisine, beaches, nature and history on the Iberian Peninsula. ACROSS SPAIN IN THE OFpain geFnerally inc-urs Sbelt filled wEith enthusiasAtic joggers, Svisitor. JusOt south of DoN n Quijotes’ trail, images of packed commuting skaters and jolly kids on Jaen’s endless fields of olive trees invites beaches, filled tapa various playgrounds. for an overnight stop and most places , chic seaside The Matadero, a converted slaughter- delicious olive-oil stocking-up in one of bars and maybe over- house, adds the cultural edge with the tiniest authentic ancient villages. prized flamenco regular arts and farmers’ markets and One thing to bear in mind, the shows. Costa Brava cutting-edge drama, musical and further South you go, and the more out and Costa del Sol dance performances of all shapes and of British tourist season you travel, the during high-season gustos. Outside the main-season, all more you get an impression of the real certainly offer all of tends to be less packed and thus more Spain. This includes no dinner before that and more. But there is also the enjoyable. 9: 30 pm for the earliest. When aware, SSpain of the low season, the more The same counts for the more well this is no game-breaker as long as you authentic Spain where prices are lower, known, yet not less impressive make sure that your kids, and maybe locals more available, restaurants attractions, like the famous arts even the adults too , get the genuine emptier and the sun gently caressing museums Prado and Reina Sofia, the Spanish siesta in the after-noon. rather than relentlessly burning. world’s lushest and most turtle-infested Before you hit the coast with its train station Attocha, the historic Plaza countless beaches and beach resorts, Mayor and my all-time favourite flea- consider a small detour to Granada for Above: Castillo de Guadamur Right: The Serran ía de Ronda THE FRIENDLIEST WELCOME: IN MADRID Arriving in Madrid on our direct market, el Rastro – to name but a few. a history and culture fix in its in Andalusiat Below: Puente Nuevo and El Tajo gorge flight from Malta, many old memories New family-friendly attractions I only historically unsurpassable Alhambra come storming back at me. Every time recently added to my list of favourites where Arab and Christian architecture anew the Spaniards ’ welcoming smiles are churros at San Gines, the oldest merge in what is part palace, part fort, and friendly, helpful attitude make me Chocolateria in town, and the free part World Heritage site. feel at home as soon as I hit the capital. Maritime Museum a few blocks north Make sure you book in advance as only Another welcoming feature is the of the kid-friendly railway museum, a certain amount of entrance tickets is fantastic tapas and menus at incredibly which includes the first map ever drawn sold each day. If you need some quiet low prices at every corner you pass. of the Americas over 1000 years ago. and tranquillity after the tourist masses, This time we are staying on the edge of go shopping for local handicrafts in the Madrid’s only river, the Manzanares. HEADING SOUTH lofty villages of Las Alpujarras, the hippy Whilst in my childhood this area was On our way South we stop at a few of mountains south of the Sierra Nevada never even mentioned, the recent the castles and Manchego cheese and last part of Spain to retain a strong redevelopment has successfully factories of Castilla de la Mancha, many Muslim population after Granada’s fall converted the riverfront into a green of which we barely share with another in 1492 . » 17 HEADINGNORTH If you don’t need the sun to have a good time, why not head north to what has long been one of Europe’s most alluring destinations . Direct flights from many of the numerous Andalusian airports like Seville or Malaga take you directly to Barcelona . Catalonia’s capital has a completely different feel to Madrid and both autumn and spring you are better off taking an extra jacket and a few Euros more. Compared to Madrid, people are a bit more rushed, the overall city-feel a bit more cosmopolitan and accommodation and food more expensive. However, Barcelona also bursts stimulating innovations in wholesome cuisines like paleo, vegan and gluten-free creations; historic as well as modern and renovated sea- front pleasures; and an explosion of more modern, wild arts filled by the inspirational breezes left behind by Gaudi, Miro, Dali, Picasso and the like. Whether seated in one of the green parks or ethnic cafes around the funky university area near the Gothic Quarters, or more tapa-ed under in one of the touristy or Top: Ordesa y Monte Perdido National «Following a few lazy traditional bars and bistros in the charmingly quaint Park Left: Mudejar architecturet in Teruel beach days anywhere historic centre near Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia, one Above: Seville Bottom left: Park G üell between Malaga and has little doubt that the next grant artist, from author, by Gaudi in Barcelona Gibraltar, you might want over designer to producer and painter is developing his to consider an excursion or her ideas a table or two next to yours . to the tranquil and often forgotten mountainous If time allows, stay in the north and take a westward hinterland. Take a jumper as temperatures can differ fling passing postcard-perfect villages on the cusp of the drastically. National parks with hiking trails of all levels Parque Nacional de Ordesa in Monte Perdido in and historic villages around medieval plazas and Northern Aragon ; Galicia’s prominent Guggenheim traditional tapa places compete in picturesque beauty. Museum which turned Bilbao from a byword for Our highlights included an after-noon in one of Spain’s industrial decay into a major European art centre by the oldest settlements – the rugged white town of Ronda river; or a deeper look into your soul as you travel along with unforgettable mountain views perched the legendary Camino de Santiago. spectacularly above the sheer cliffs of the Tajo gorge; North or South, soulful or light, cuisine and culture, Gibraltar’s renowned cheeky monkeys ; a day hiking with nature, history and more – Spain promises to never goats in the Parque Natural Sierra de las Nieves and one disappoint and remains one of the most affordable travel of the finest Via Verdes in La Sierra, consisting of an old destinations in Europe, more so still during off season. railway line transformed into traffic-free thoroughfares Vamonos? for bikers, hikers and horse riders. To get back to Malta, you can return to Madrid’s Dini Martinez is a travel author, blogger, conscious mother and Airport via long-distance bus, national rail, plane or doula, live-aboard sailor and international yoga teacher who rental car. On your way, don’t miss out on sun-kissed spent her high-school years in the late 1990s in Spain and Seville. No other city is as quintessentially Spanish. Its continues to regularly visit her beloved Iberian Peninsula. Direct everlasting energy and soulful secrets have played a flights from Malta to Madrid are available all year round. Direct pivotal role in the evolution of flamenco, bullfighting, flights from Malta to Gerona, Seville and Valencia are only baroque art and Mudejar architecture. available during high season. 18.